<p>Everyone has their own idea of how the best pizza should taste, said Mike Kurimsky, owner of Mike's Pizza and Pasta at 803 Spartanburg Highway in Hendersonville.</p><p>With that in mind, Kurimsky said, “We'll make a pizza any way you want.” </p><p>A person's taste for pizza pie usually comes from their youth and where they grew up, the pizza maker said.</p><p>“Some people like thick crust, some like thin; some like a lot of sauce, some like a little cheese,” Kurimsky said.</p><p>If there is no special request, the pie is served with a crust of medium thickness, crispy on the top and bottom. </p><p>Signature items on Mike's Pizza and Pasta menu include homemade meatballs, manicotti, lasagna and wing sauce. But the menu would not be complete without a customer favorite — garlic knots. </p><p>“They are second to none,” Kurimsky said.</p><p>The appetizer is made from homemade pizza dough tied in a knot, baked and topped with olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese.</p><p>“It all starts with good food,” said Kurimsky, who first opened Big Mike's Pizza in Brevard in 1999. “Good food brings people back.”</p><p>He brought his two sons, 24-year-old Mike and 20-year-old Matt, onboard to work at the new location for the experience. One works in the kitchen, the other in the dining room.</p><p>“So far so good,” Kurimsky said. “I thought it would be good to give them a jumpstart on life.”</p><p>Kurimsky bought the Spartanburg Highway store Nov. 12 and they renovated the entire inside of the restaurant. The attached bar is called East Side Pub.</p><p>The restaurant will add more for customers in the coming weeks, including a pizza buffet, salad bar and daily food and drink specials.</p><p>The 110-seat restaurant, formerly Pro's Pizza, is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the bar stays open later. The menu can be found online at www.mikespizzaandpasta.com.</p><p>Reach Schulman at 828-694-7890 or mark.schulman@blueridgenow.com.</p>